Hot-air deflector for tractors



Nov. 2, 1948. c. E.v CLAPPER 2,452,834

HOT AIR DEFLECTOR Fon 'rRAc'roRs` 2v snefts-sneet 1 Filed March 1'?, 1945 Filed umn 1v, 1945 No?. f2, 19,48. c, E, CLAPPER 2,452,834

HOT AIR DEFLBCTOR FOR TRACTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR,

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Patented Nov. 2, 1948 l/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Hor-Am DEFLEo'roR Fon 'rnac'roas Clyde E. Clapper, Kansas City, Mo. Application March i7, 1945, serial. No. 583,345

(ci. iso-54) 16 Claims.

This invention relates to hot air deectors for.

. from the sides thereof.

In cold weather the tractor operator is not normally benefited by the heat generated by the tractor engine due to the fact that it is dissipated upwardly before it reaches the operator when seated in the normal position on the tractor.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the heated air from the engine and its associated parts is deiiected so as to contact and warm the operator of the tractor. y

Another object of this invention is the provision of a hot air deiiector having means adjustable to regulate the flow of heated air from th'e engine to the operator.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, ease and speed of mounting, and adaptability for use on the various types of conventional farm tractors. y

With these objects in view, as well as other objects, which will appear during the course of the specification, reference will now be had to the drawing, wherein: A

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hot air deilector shown in combination. with a farm tractor with parts dotted and parts broken away. embodying this invention,

Fig. 2 is a. rear end view of the mounted dey tlector in positiond on the tractor, as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a stretch-out member..

Fig. 4 is a stretch-out view o! the rear deflector member.

Fig. 5 is a stretch-out view of the detachable windshield section of the deflector.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of the detl'ector taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is `a detached perspective view of the inverted U-shaped rod supporting member.

Fig, 8 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken on line VIII-VIII of Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view taken on line IXe-1X of Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken on line X-X of Fig. 1.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line XI--XI of Fig. 3.

Throughout the several views like reference characters refer to similar parts and the numeral of the front defiector I0 designates a tractor of the conventional type suitable for farm use having a'. frame l2 mounted on front wheels I4 and rear wheels i6, said rear wheels being mounted on axles I8; adjustably mounted in axle housings 20. Frame I2 carries an engine 22 which powers the tractor and drives an air circulating fan 24 which draws air through the radiator and forces it rearwardly over the engine. Frame I2 also carries a super structure orframe 26 which' is open at its sides at 28. A seat 30 carried by frame l2, is disposed at the rear central portion of the tractor so that the operator has proper relation relative to the control levers and the steering wheel 32 mounted on the steering rod 34.

All of the tractor parts just described are conventional and it is not the purpose of the inventor to disclose any special tractor but to include any of the conventional types of tractor of this general form.

It is the primary purpose of thisA invention to so control the air ilow created by the fan 24 or the natural flow of hot air from the engine in the direction of the operator whereby he is beneted by the heat developed by th'e internal combustion engine. i

Mounted on axle housings 20 is an inverted U-shapedv standard'or bow 36 which is secured to said housings by means of cap screws 38. The legs 40 of member 36 are upwardly and inwardly inclined and provided with an arcuate head portion 42. It will be noted that thisvmember 36 is sopositioned relative to the seat 30 that th'e operator's legs will extend therebetween and due to the distance between the legs of the member 36 he will have easy access to and from the operative position .A rear deilector member 44, shown in-Figs. 1, 2 and 4, is made of a suitable flexible material such as canvas and is secured at its rear edge by folding it about the supporting member 36 and securing it in position by means of the snap fasteners 46 asl clearly sh wn in Fig. 9. The forward edge of deilector 44 is secured to the tracto structure by means of snap-on fasteners 48 and 50. The opposite edges of deflector 44 are each provided-with a series of eyelets br gromets 52; one series of these eyelets are adapted to receive cords 54, looped at their free end 56 and provided with an adjusting block k56 by means of which the length of the cord may be varied. The loop of each' of said cords carries a hook member 60 which is adapted to pass beneath the tractor frame and engage the eyelets 52 at the opposite'edge of the deiiector member 44. This fastening of the deflector member is such that it substantially closes the rear portion of the tractor to present a housing suitable -to receive the extremities of the operator and to direct th'e heated air toward the tractor seat 30. The bottom portion 3l ofthe vehicle traversed by the cords 54 is closed and serves to prevent the escape of heated air.

It will be noted that the defiector 44 is slit at 62 to receive the lamp arms S4 carried by the legs 40 of member 3B. A nap i6 attached to member 44 overlaps slot 62 and is provided with snap-on fasteners 68 by means oi' which the canvas is secured about the arms 64. Light reiiector brackets l are adjustably carried by arms 64.

The wind shield section 'l2 comprises a'canvas section 14 formed to iit over the rear portion of deilector member 44 and to be secured thereto by fasteners 16 which serve to support the transparent section 18 made of plastic or any other suitable material in a substantially vertical position. 'I'he opposite edges of the wind shield sections are provided with folded over hems to form tubes I0 to receive reenforcing stays or slats 82. An ar cuate reenforcing cross bar 84 received at its opposite end to stays 82 by bolts 88 serve to hold the wind shield section in iproper position. This windshield section may be quickly mounted or dismounted by simply releasing the fasteners.

Referring now to a front deiiector member y88 it will be noted that it has two similar side sections 90 and a bottom section 92. The side sections extend forwardly beyond the front edge of thebottom section 92 to form a notch 94 with inturned flaps 9i, each iiap being provided with an eyelet 98. An adjustable fastening cord 54 is secured at its one end in the eyelet 98 in one of said naps and' the hook '80 carried thereby is adapted to engage in the eyelet of the other of said flaps. The bottom section 92 is provided with an opening |00 of proper size and position [to snugly n t the depending portion M2 of the engine 22 when the side sections are positioned as shown in Figure 1 to cover the side openings of the engine; The rear edge of said sections 90 overlap the front edge of rear deiiector member 44 and the holes i 0 4 engage .the fastener stud 50. Snap fasteners |06 at the top and front edge of side sections 90 serve I :to support the` canvas in position over the openings 22 to prevent the escape of hot air from the eng-ine compartment.

The snap fasteners are of the conventional type wherein an eyelet .is adapted to frictionally receive a stud for removably holding the parts together. f

Referring .to Figure 1 it-will be noted that the upper front corner of theside member is shown dropped down` in solid lines .to permit the escape of a portion of the hot air in order to temper the air being delivered .to the operator. When it is desired to obtain the full benefit of the air heated by the engine the corner portion of the side member is raised and fastened as shown in dotted lines. Byremoving the entire front deiiector section 88 the rear deileotor member will still deliver heated air from the engine to the operator in a less degree.

In most farm engines that portion of the frame adjacent the engine is open while .the rear portion of the frame is closed by the transmission, differential, etc. For this reason the bottom section 92 is provided to substantially close the en-` gine compartment as described.

It will be noted, by referring to Fig. 2 vlthat the engine 22 is relatively narrower than the upper frame part 28 and is spacedv apart from the deilector 88. thus presenting passageways 23 between .the engine and the defiector to form an air passageway from the engine zone to the 'bow 36 through which air passing about the heated engine will pass. rearwardly to the seat zone.

The deiiectors A8l and 44 are attached at their overlapped. portions to the upper frame part 26 at 50 and to the lower frame part I2 at 98 thus insur-ing a continuous deector or cover from adiacent the forward en-d of frame 26 to the bow 36 through which heated air may pass to the seat zone.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the hot alrdeector members in combina- .tion with the farm tractor structure produce passageway for the hot air generated by the engine of the tractor from the engine to the rear of .the tractor to 'facilitate heating of the area occupied by the operator; furthermore, it is'qulte apparent that minor vchanges might be made in the structures and arrangements of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination with a tractor including an open conventional frame carrying an engine, a Ventilating fan driven by said engine and a seat structure carried. by said frame at the rear of said engine, of a pliable deiiector member detachably secured to said open frame to close the same about said engine, a bow secured at its lower ends to said frame adjacent said seat structure and extending above the top of said frame, a pliable deiiector member secured at its rear edge portions to said bow and-at its front edge portion to said frame to overlap said iirst named d-eiiector whereby hot air from said engine will be caused to travel to the zone of said seat structure.

2. The combination with a conventional tractor including an open conventional frame carrying an engine, a Ventilating fan driven by said engine and a seat structure carried by said frame at the rear of said engine, of a pliable defiector member detachably secured to said'open frame to close the same about said engine, a bow secured at its lower ends to said frame adjacent said seat structure and extending above the top of said frame, a pliable deiiector member secured at its rear edge portions -to said bow and at its front edge portion to said frame to form with said first named deector a continuous passageway rearwardly from said engine whereby substantially all the hot air from said engine will be caused .to travel 4to the zone of said seat structure,l and a wind shield detachably carried by said bow to extend thereabove.

3.*The combination with a tractor including an open conventional frame, an engine mounted within said frame, va. Ventilating fan driven by said engine, a seat structure carried by said frame at the rear of said engine, of a pliable deectormember detachably secured to said frame about said engine to close saic'. frame, a bow carried by said frame adjacent said seat structure, a rear pliable deector member supported at its front edge portion to! said frame and at its rear edge portion to said: bow whereby a continuous passageway is formed from the front end of said tractor to the seat zone through which air is forced by said fan oversaid engine to the area of said seat.

4." 'I'he combination -with a tractor including a frame having open sides, an engine mounted within said frame, a Ventilating fan driven by said engine, a seat structure carried by said frame at 

